Jessica Conley is a meteorologist at News Center Channel 6 in
Portland and a proud Girl Scout Alum!
After moving to
Mississippi for her first job, then back to Maine, then to Savannah,
Georgia for another job, she is so happy to be home in Maine where she
plans to live forever and ever. And we are so happy to have her home
continuing to be a role model inspiring Girl Scouts all over
Maine.
Jessica remembers her years as a part of Girl
Scout Troop 76 in South Portland fondly. She loved being able to get
creative with her Girl Scout troop, inspiring a lifelong love of doing
crafty things! “I think some of the Christmas tree ornaments that my
family still has on the tree today are from Girl Scouting.” Jessica
shared.
Other great Girl Scout memories include marching
in the Memorial Day Parade and going to the different Girl Scout
Camps. She remembers the Chalet at Pondicherry feeling like a mansion
it was so huge! Scelkit was her favorite because it was right on the
water where they could enjoy many nature activities. Jessica has
always loved the ocean, and obviously the weather, recently spending a
lot of time at the ocean.
Jessica’s love of the outdoors,
weather, and math inspired her to work hard to become a Meteorologist,
despite few women in her program at Plymouth State University. In
fact, just like many STEM careers, Meteorology is a male-dominated
field that she had to break through. Jessica is an inspiration to
young girls, showing them that girls can do anything they set their
mind to and are passionate about. Beyond her work in the weather
center and newsroom, Jessica teaches math at Southern Maine Community
College (SMCC).
Jessica recently hosted Girl Scouts from
all over Maine to kick-off cookie season, giving them a
behind-the-scenes studio tour, teaching them how the green screen
works, and enthusiastically sharing with them her passion for the
weather and math. Appearing on the evening news, helping deliver the
weather forecast and share their love of Girl Scout cookies, was icing
on the cake…or should we say cookie!
Connecting with
female role models, seeing them in action, and learning from them is
critical to our Movement. Tune into Jessica on Channel 6 and follow
her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to get to know this go-getter Girl Scout
even more!
Evie Clement, a senior at the University of Maine studying
Communications, Speech Pathology, and Psychology, joined Portland
Rising because she “Knew it was going to be a unique opportunity to
meet and play with some incredibly talented women, but also to support
women’s ultimate frisbee in general.”
Clement was a
member of Troop 497 in Falmouth. She emphasized that the Girl Scout
community she had as a child, and even as an adult, reminds her of the
women’s frisbee community she has now with Portland Rising. “I am
surrounded by a strong group of females with a shared interest who I
am inspired by and can learn from and grow with. As women, it is
important to keep lifting each other up and communities like these
make that a lot easier.”
“One of my favorite and most
vivid memories as a Girl Scout was when our troop took a trip down to
Boston. We got to explore the city, but I think the best part was that
we got to sleep in the aquarium. I remember other troops were also
staying there as we all curled up in sleeping bags on the floor like
one big sleepover. In our troop, we weren’t all friends before Girl
Scouts, but we became friends because of it. I think being a part of
Girl Scouts taught me how to be curious and creative, especially when
working with others. I still keep in touch with a lot of my friends
from Girl Scouts (granted, I only graduated a few years ago) and love
reminiscing about our shenanigans. Looking back, it is such a great
feeling to know I had a community of girls with shared interests as a
support system to learn and grow with. We were able to do things like
volunteer and give back to our community and have fun doing it.”
Mohdis Baker, Bates College Alum, and Westbrook resident, was a Girl Scout from Troop 2161 in Portland. She now works as a Lab Scientist at IDEXX and coaches an award winning women's ultimate frisbee team at Bates.
Baker went to a launch party for Portland Rising and “Couldn’t believe how much energy was already surrounding the team. Like most of our ultimate community, I was thrilled that not only would there be a professional ultimate team coming to Maine, but the first professional women’s team the state has ever had.”
“Girl Scouts actually translates really well into sports, where you are able to transfer your leadership skills, use your teamwork, and apply your self-discipline to achieve the goals that you desire. It also taught me how to make home-made ice cream with snow, which I still use to this day.”
“Despite not being able to compete on a field this season, we have still actively been learning about ongoing issues and using our platform to fight for social justice.”
Baker’s fondest memory of being a Girl Scout was the bridging ceremony from Brownie to Junior. She said, “Although the bridge is symbolic, it was a monumental experience for me where I felt recognized for my achievement and wanted to continue to do good for myself and my community.”
“Thanks to Girl Scouts, I developed a passion for remaining involved in my community. The more you're able to give back to your community, the more it can benefit you. I've found it especially important to give back to the younger generations so that they can learn and grow from our experiences and feel empowered to become future leaders,” said Baker.
Both Clement and Baker have advice for girls who are now and forever a part of the Girl Scout Network:
“In terms of advice, one thing I keep trying to remind myself is to
make time to give back. With all the responsibilities that come with
this fast paced world, it can be easy to get lost and feel like you
only have time to just keep yourself moving. But cultivating
connections with others and giving back to people and communities that
you care about is so important, whether it be volunteering in your
community or just checking in with an old friend. . . plus It can also
be a form of self-care because you usually feel better afterward,”
said Clement.
“My advice is to stick with the hobbies
you're passionate about. Not only will it help you grow in that field,
but you can gain lifelong friendships and relationships from it.
Although we may be out of our youth years, continue to set goals for
yourself. You can never stop learning, growing, and improving yourself
and the world around you,” said Baker.
